LISBON -- Royal Caribbean Group may be selling two older ships that operate in the Galapagos Islands, but the company is interested in expanding its presence there, said CEO Jason Liberty, who was in Portugal for the christening of Silversea Cruises' new luxury ship, the Silver Ray.
With the company selling the Celebrity Xpedition and Celebrity Xploration to Lindblad Expeditions, Royal Caribbean Group will have two ships operating in the Galapagos: Silver Origin and Celebrity Flora. Both are relatively new ships (the Flora's maiden cruise was in 2019, the Origin in 2021) and each one accommodates 100 guests, the maximum allowed in the Galapagos.
The 48-guest Xpedition and 16-guest Xploration were built in 2001 and 2007, respectively, and were vessels that Celebrity Cruises acquired. The Xpedition has been sailing as a Celebrity ship since 2004, the Xploration since 2017.
Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty says satisfaction levels are "exceptionally high" for its Galapagos cruises. Photo Credit: Royal Caribbean Group
"We bought them because they came with licenses to operate in the Galapagos," Liberty said. He added that the Xpedition and Xploration were "not really connected, experience-wise" to the Celebrity brand.
However, the Flora and the Origin are brand-connected. They were built for Celebrity and Silversea. And they are popular ships sailing in a destination in high demand.
"It's a very successful product for us. The ships are full all the time. Satisfaction levels are exceptionally high," Liberty said.
Liberty called Galapagos cruising "in the top one or two best vacation experiences I've ever had."
"There's so many incredible memories and stories that you walk away with," he said. "It's really amazing, but it's also a very protected space. And that's what makes it so unique and special."
Liberty called the Origin and Flora "floating jewels that take you to all these incredible places." He says Royal Caribbean Group has the best cruise product in the Galapagos.
"There's nothing else like it in the Galapagos," he said. "Everything else is either very aged or not up to that [quality]. We match our brands with experiences that guests would not get anywhere else, in terms of amenities."